English Pronunciation Courses to Sound Clear and Confident

English Pronunciation Courses to Sound Clear and Confident

6 mins readComment
Jaya
Jaya Sharma
Assistant Manager - Content
Updated on Sep 19, 2024 17:09 IST

With remote work and international collaborations becoming the norm, professionals often participate in calls and video conferences with colleagues, clients, and partners from diverse linguistic backgrounds. For professionals, speaking clearly and confidently in English is inevitable. 

business english

Table of Contents

What Will Students Learn Through English Pronunciation Courses?

By enrolling in English pronunciation courses, students will learn about the following to improve and enhance English pronunciation:

Category

Learning Points

Phoneme Production

  • Distinct sounds/ phonemes of English
  • Proper articulation of vowels, consonants, and diphthongs
  • Distinguishing between similar sounds (e.g., /θ/ and /ð/)

Stress and Intonation Patterns

  • Understanding word stress rules in multi-syllable words
  • Applying sentence-level stress to convey meaning accurately
  • Using rising and falling intonation for questions, statements, and emotions

Rhythm and Timing

  • Grasping the stress-timed nature of English
  • Reducing unstressed syllables and function words
  • Developing natural-sounding speech cadence

Connected Speech Techniques

  • Linking between words (e.g., "run_away")<br>
  • Applying assimilation (e.g., "good boy" becomes "goob boy")
  • Using elision to naturally drop sounds (e.g., "next day" becomes "nex day")

Mouth and Tongue Positioning

  • Understanding the physical aspects of sound production
  • Practising proper lip rounding, tongue placement, and jaw movements
  • Mastering techniques for clear articulation of challenging sounds

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

  • Reading and interpreting IPA symbols
  • Using IPA as a tool for self-study and pronunciation reference

Accent Reduction Strategies

  • Identifying and modifying pronunciation patterns influenced by native language
  • Practicing minimal pairs to distinguish similar sounds in English

Voice Projection and Clarity

  • Developing techniques for speaking clearly in various acoustic environments
  •  Proper breathing and vocal support for improved resonance

Digital Communication Skills

  • Adapting pronunciation for optimal clarity on phone and video calls
  • Learning to compensate for potential audio issues in digital communication

Self-monitoring and Correction

  • Developing an ear for self-assessment of pronunciation
  • Learning techniques for ongoing improvement and self-correction

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List Of English Pronunciation Courses For Speaking Confidently

Let us now discuss the list of courses that will help in honing your English pronunciation for professional purposes.

1. University of Pennsylvania - English for Career Development

The course is specially designed for non-native English speakers who want to advance in their careers globally. The aim of this course is to ensure that learners can effectively communicate on business phone and video calls. Unit 4 of the course covers networking that teaches communication while meeting new people and making small talk. Networking elevator speech is also a part of this course curriculum.

Course Name

University of Pennsylvania - English for Career Development 

Duration

40 hours 

Provider

Coursera

Course Fee

Free

Trainers

Brian McManus and Robyn Turner

Skills Gained

Business Communication, English Language, Writing

Students Enrolled

2,517,328

Total Reviews

4.8/5  (15,513 reviews)

Why Choose This Course?

  • Value for Money: This business communication course in English is taught by the top instructors on Coursera. The certificate from the University of Pennsylvania adds on to the value of the course.
  • Certification Value: The certificate is awarded by the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Learner's Experience: As per one of the learners who has completed this course, "The "English for Career Development" course provided an excellent overview of the entire job search process in the USA, from start to finish. It helped me improve my understanding of key topics like writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, and navigating professional communication in a U.S. work environment. The lessons were clear and practical, and the course offered valuable insights into what employers in the U.S. are looking for. Overall, this course greatly enhanced my career prospects and job search skills."

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2. Certificate Course in Soft Skills and Communicative English

The aim of this course is to help learners communicate in English for professional purposes. The course covers modules on customer care, telephone handling techniques, active listening, call structure and telemarketing. 

Course Name

Certificate Course in Soft Skills and Communicative English 

Duration

80 hours

Provider

NIELIT

Course Fee

₹ 5,000

Skills Gained

Office Etiquette, Speech Techniques

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Why Choose This Course?

  • Value for Money: This spoken English course is suitable for people who wish to acquire either British, American or Indian English accent.
  • Certification Value: The certificate is awarded by NIELIT Calicut.

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3. Better Spoken English

The course will enhance the ability of spoken English by ensuring comprehensible pronunciation of English. Important communication techniques including speaking slowly with pauses, difficult English sounds and production of speech sounds are covered in this course. 

Course Name

Better Spoken English

Duration

40 hours 

Provider

Coursera

Course Fee

₹3,000 + GST

Trainers

Prof. Rajesh Kumar

Skills Gained

Public speaking, English phonetics and Presentation skills

Why Choose This Course?

  • Value for Money: It deals with improving public speaking and presentation skills. This spoken English course is taught by experienced Professor Rajesh Kumar who has obtained PhD in linguistics from the University of Illinois.
  • Certification Value: The certificate is awarded by NPTEL and IIT Madras.
  • Learner's Experience: Good 😊 very interesting course by iit Madras thank you sir I learnt something here get very confident

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4. UEA - Effective Questioning for Call Handlers

This course is designed for learners who have to interact with clients on call. Learners will be able to handle calls over the phone effectively through this course. The consequences of asking questions and how that impacts call outcomes will also be discussed in this course.

Course Name

UEA - Effective Questioning for Call Handlers 

Duration

3 weeks

Provider

FutureLearn

Course Fee

₹ 2,100

Trainers

Jamie Murdoch

Skills Gained

Spoken English, Communication skills

Students Enrolled

5,593

Total Reviews

4.5 (13 reviews)

Why Choose This Course?

  • Value for Money: The course focuses on types of questions relevant for obtaining information for callers. It is a useful course for professionals involved in delivering service over call.
  • Certification Value: The certificate is awarded by CPD Certification Service which is an independent CPD accreditation institution meant to complement CPD policies of professional as well as academic bodies.
  • Learner's Experience: As per one of the learners “Fascinating introduction to call handling. The impact of technology on questioning was really interesting. It is difficult to get fire y responses from people who feel I'll and possibly vulnerable.”

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5. Business English: Management and Leadership

This course is mainly for managerial or executive-level professionals who need to communicate in English within a business setup. This course ensures that learners can make telephonic conferences more efficient and successful. They will also learn to wite easy-to-read yet formal professional emails.

Course Name

Business English: Management and Leadership

Duration

30 hours

Provider

Coursera

Course Fee

₹3,267/month

Trainers

Wanda Huber, Jessica Cinco, Jenny Young and Andrea Mürau Haraway

Skills Gained

Communication, Meeting, Emailing

Students Enrolled

76,813

Total Reviews

4.7 (1,420 reviews)

Why Choose This Course?

  • Value for Money: The course is taught by two top instructors on Coursera. This course is useful for those who want to acquire new concepts from industry experts and develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects.
  • Certification Value: The certificate is awarded by Arizona State University.
  • Learner's Experience: As per one of the learners on Coursera “It was a tough course, but I managed to push through , given the fact it was something new for me it was a great learning experience . This course taught me lot's of stuff that can be helpful in the long run.”

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Conclusion

Poor pronunciation may lead to misunderstandings, lack of credibility, and sometimes lost opportunities. This is why having good English pronunciation is essential. Professionals must hone their verbal communication skills to speak confidently in professional settings. The above listed courses are designed by experts who understand the areas of improvement for having fluent and impactful communication in English language.

About the Author
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Jaya Sharma
Assistant Manager - Content

Jaya is a writer with an experience of over 5 years in content creation and marketing. Her writing style is versatile since she likes to write as per the requirement of the domain. She has worked on Technology, Fina... Read Full Bio